A Holistic and Integrative Approach to Mental Health & Healing

Embracing Wholeness: A Holistic and Integrative Approach to Mental Health & Healing

Written by Dr. Leeland Jones, MD

A whole person approach (a bio-psycho-social model) is a method that goes beyond addressing surface symptoms. It instead focuses on evidence-based techniques that bring true healing, resilience, and equipped clients to better handle life's stresses and pain. In this article, Christian psychiatrist Leeland Jones highlights the discovery that changed his life: a combination of mind renewal, functional medicine, and inner healing prayer strategies that opened the door for profound breakthroughs that are the focus of his book, Becoming Whole.

Mind Renewal: The Root of Healing

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” Romans 12:1-2

During one of my first months of my student Psychiatry rotation, the professor was teaching the medical students about the transformative healing process called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for panic disorder. All of the students were quite impressed that this method only took 2-3 months (often in groups) to heal a lifelong tormenting illness. As he described the process taken from a Jewish psychiatrist (Aaron Beck, MD), I noticed that this strategy was taken right from the Bible. Basically, its effectiveness is based on simply replacing a person’s most fearful and phobic beliefs with more healthy beliefs and expectations. Now this form of “psycho-therapy” is one of the most commonly used forms of therapy for a host of illnesses including everything from insomnia to addiction to cancer. It replaces “stinkin thinkin” with healthy beliefs. I have also appreciated the quickness of this method, especially when the Bible is used, when everyone in the therapy group has the same or similar diagnosis. What the Bible refers to as renewing our hearts means pulling out the destructive weeds and replacing them with healthy seeds and plants for a harvest of healthy thinking and lifestyle.

Functional Healing: The Root of Causes

PTSD & Cinderella Syndrome

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].

Romans 11: 29 Amplified Bible

You may recall the story of Cinderella. This story reminds me of many of my patients. She was the one abused by her step-mother & step-sisters. But what were her giftings, her calling, her function? The ID and self-concept of the abused person (how they see themselves and their function) is often a far distance from God’s purpose for their lives. So unfortunately there is always at least one person who is envious of another’s calling and function. Their abuse and trauma can look like PTSD.

So when we look at function, we are not just looking at the function of the physical organs, brain, and body, but also at social and spiritual functions as well. When we bring the Truth (the name of a person) to the wounded spiritual & social functions, we can accelerate healing health and wholeness. Then our calling to be the princess or the queen of the country won’t be sabotaged by the “haters.”

Inner Healing: The Root of Transformation

The true power of this whole person approach lies in addressing the root cause of issues rather than merely managing symptoms. Often, these root causes are deeply embedded traumas possibly originating from early childhood or even in utero. Such trauma, whether physical, emotional, social, generational, or spiritual, can be stored in fragmented parts of the brain, heart, and soul. By using various inner healing strategies, these memories can be revisited, dialogued with, and ultimately healed. Through divine intervention and strategic prayer, repressed memories and wounds can be brought into the light, enabling healing that transcends traditional therapeutic methods. By incorporating spiritual elements into the conventional bio-psycho-social model, healing is not only accelerated and deepened but infused with greater purpose. This approach addresses existential questions and larger life issues, helping clients move toward fulfillment and self-realization. Collaboration with leaders in the inner healing movement has shown that this integrative method propels clients toward becoming whole and living out their calling and purpose with renewed vitality and strength.

Inner Healing Testimony:

The Adopted Doctor & In-Utero Wounds

“It was the first visit for a 42-year-old physician who was requesting treatment for chronic depression. He knew I used Inner Healing and was hoping this may be the remedy he was looking for. He had studied and tried many types of therapies that had not been very successful. During the first interview, as I looked into his eyes, it became eerie that another person was checking me out like an inner-child searching to see if I was safe enough for him to tell me his story. After the first session my clinical diagnosis was double depression: major depression & minor dysthymia, both in the mild to moderate range. The spiritual root or etiology had its source in utero. He had been given up by his parents and adopted at birth. Thankfully, at the second visit he was trusting enough and ready to go “there.” (A place called “There” is one of Jesus’ names according to Ezra 48:35.) We spent the next hour addressing his subconscious experience and memory from the time he was in his mother’s womb. The adult part of this patient could only look on at a distance and was sequestered from the intensity of what had happened to him. I often tell the adult part of the patient to go 2-3 mountains away and look with binoculars to see and not feel what had happened. This for the most part is not an adult issue. As the match-maker my role was to continually connect the inner child’s spirit (more than mind & brain) to the healing presence of Jesus. There were so many painful questions. As more and more truth and enlightenment came in, the less pain, grief and resentment was left in him. After an hour and a half of this, an overwhelming peace came and his inner child and adult embraced as he was able to forgive and not hate his parents, God, and himself (false guilt).

I love this kind of healing because not only is it so profound and life changing, but also because so much suffering is healed so quickly.”

Whole Person Approach to Treatment

The above holistic strategy has proven effective in treating a variety of conditions including:

PTSD

Major and minor depression

Anxiety and panic disorders

Personality disorders

Trauma-related psychiatric illnesses

Comorbid conditions (chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, and addictions)

Consultations & Group Therapy Sessions

At Real Health Medical, the following services will be offered through Dr. Leeland Jones:

Individual breakthrough sessions

Inner healing group therapy focused on anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction

Tools for self-care, self-compassion, and forgiveness

Specialized therapies for chronic pain, couples, and families

Courses for counselors, clergy, and therapists to expand their understanding and practice of inner healing and whole-person wellness

These resources are designed not just for symptom management but for guiding individuals toward a transformed and empowered life. Through a focus on inner healing, divine connection, and a robust understanding of one’s spiritual gifts, we help clients unlock their potential and ability to walk their path with strength and purpose.